Toy



April 15, 1930. F. J. GORIUP 1,754,823

TOY

Filed May 20, 1929- INVENTOR patented Apr. 15, 1930 UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE FRANK J. GORIUP, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WO L VEBINE SUP- ;PLY & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPO- RATION OF PENNSYLVANIA Application filed May 20, 1929.

More particularly my invention comprises a toy water-mill wherein the mill-wheel is operated by means of sand falling into the wheel buckets.

The hopper for the sand is contained in a housing representing a mill building, and the discharge of the sand onto the wheel is controlled by a suitable gate.

Associated with the mill-wheel and caused to be moved thereby is a figure or figures, the same being preferably caused to move on a platform in front of the mill.

Other novel features of construction, and

also of arrangement of parts, will appear from the drawings and from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the toy, portions of the mill-wheel being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a plan view partially in horizontal section along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section along the line 33 in Fig. 1, the piers of the mill being omitted for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 4 is a detail in section of the eccentric and associated parts.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a metal box or housing, provided with a removable cover or lid 2 which may be hinged or otherwise connected to the box. The housing 1 and the lid 2 are preferably so shaped, colored and marked to represent an antique mill building and its peaked roof.

The housing is elevated on piers or legs 3 which are connected and braced intermediate of their height by the horizontal struts 4.

A horizontally disposed axle 5 is mounted in bearing .holes in the front and rear struts 4:, and protrudes at the front center of the toy.

Botatably mounted on the front end of the axle 5 is the mill wheel which comprises two circular disks 6 and 7 of sheet metal which are spaced apart by the annulus 8 of sheet metal which is of less diameter than the disks 6 and 7.

The inner disk 7 is cut inwardly from its perimetral edge on lines tangentially disposed to a circle described from the axis of the disk and tongues or portions 9 of the TOY Serial No. 364,357.

punched in disk 6 and are clinched against the outer surface of disk 6, thus holding the parts of the wheel in assemblage. The bent tongue-s 9 serve to hold the annulus 8 in place in the wheel.

The tongues 9, the outer surface of the annulus 8 and the walls of the disks 6 and 7 form wheel buckets 11 which are arranged to cause the wheel to rotate clockwise in Fig. 6 when sand is dropped down into the buckets.

For the purpose of supplying sand to the buckets, the interior of the housing 1 is provided with a sand hopper formed by secur- ,ing in the front right hand corner of the housing a triangular curved metal sheet 12.

The right end wall of the housing 1 is provided near its bottom with an opening 13 which communicates with the lower end of the hopper, and fixed to the outer face of the wall is an inclined chute 14: whose outer and lower end is disposed above the path of the buckets 11 at the right of the vertical axis of the mill wheel.

The opening 13 may be elongated in an inclined plane parallel with that of the floor of the chute.

15 is a gate formed of fiat metal and pivoted to the housing 1 on a stand 16 so that the gate may be moved into position to close the opening 13 from without or to expose the opening and permit the sand to flow from the hopper into the chute.

The gate is provided with an angular portion or handle 1? which protrudes at the front of the housing 1 so that the gate may be manually opened or closed at will. The stand gate is closed or the sand in the hopper is exhausted.

A curved guard 19 supported from one of the piers 3, incloses a portion of the perimeter of the wheel, in advance of the point where the sand is discharged into the buckets, to prevent the sand from dropping out of the buckets before the latter reach the bottom of the wheel.

Movingwith the Wheel is a perimetral flange eccentric 20. The same may have its web secured to the ends of the fingers 21 which are formed by cutting the metal of the disk 7 and striking out the cut strips so that they extend rea-rwardly and are disposed about and parallel with the axle 5.

The perimetra-l edge flange of the eccentric 20 is engaged by a slot in the bent end 22 of the lower and shorter arm of a bell-crank lever 23 which is pivotally mounted at its angle on a stand 24 extending up from the front strut 4.

The other and longer arm of the lever 23 1 extends up through a slot in a platform 25 extendin from the front of the housing 1 and is pivotafly connected to a representation of a figure 26 of a man, made to represent a miller in anti ue costume and preferably accompanied y a dog.

The contour of the perimetral flange of the eccentric 20 is such that the figure 26 1s caused to periodicall dart forwardly and be partially exposed beyond the end of the housing 1 and then quickly withdrawn, giving the appearance of momentarily peering beyond the end of the mill and dodging back again.

The platform acts to prevent the figure from rotating on the end of its actuating lever and to aid in maintaining the figure in its proper posture, the metal of the figure may be cut and bent to form a projection 27 on the rear side of the figure which by coming into contact with the upper end of the lever acts as a limiting stop.

It is evident that the toy is of simple and inexpensive construction and yet substantial and durable. It is attractive as an amusement toy.

What I desire to claim is 1. In a toy water-mill, the combination of a wheel arranged to rotate on a horizontal axis and provided with buckets, a sand hopper located above the wheel, controlled means for gravity discharge of sand from the hopper into the buckets of the wheel whereby to rotate the wheel, a movably mounted mechanical figure, a bell-crank lever having its upper end pivotally connected to the figure, means whereby the rotation of the wheel causes a rocking of the bell-crank lever whereby to move the figure and a horizontal platform over which said figure trails in its movements whereby said figure is prevented from material tilting.

2. In a toy water-mill, the combination of a wheel arranged to rotate on a horizontal axis and provided with buckets, a sand May, 1929.

FRANK J. GORIUP.

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